Thrill On Wheels

rush!

The 3 Central Floridians Who Perform On Their Flatland Bikes At Magic Games Are Having A Ball.

December 24, 2004|By Tim Povtak, Sentinel Staff Writer

At age 24, Scott Weaver already has the signs of advancing arthritis, the toll he pays for spending the past 10 years on his bike trying to turn impossible stunt ideas into mind-boggling reality.

It's part of his thrill-now, pay-later mentality.

It's part of the lifestyle.

"I've had people tell me I won't be able to walk normally when I get older because of all the abuse my body has taken,'' Weaver said. "They think I'm crazy, but I can't imagine doing anything else. I love what I'm doing.''

Weaver, who grew up in Titusville, is a professional BMX rider, the centerpiece of the three-man team performing throughout the season during halftime at Orlando Magic games. Their next scheduled appearance will be Wednesday when the Magic host the Milwaukee Bucks.

Other appearances at Magic games will be on Jan. 8, Jan. 22, Feb. 1, Feb. 27, March 4 and April 8. What the crowd at TD Waterhouse Centre will see is the tame version of flatland freestyle biking, a no-ramps, no-props sport that requires hours of practice on asphalt parking lots to master the difficult stunts. That's where most injuries occur.

For Weaver, the torn ligament in his right knee hurt more than the dislocated shoulder, broken foot or bruised vertebrae in his back -- but only because it kept him off the bike longer.

He is teamed with Chad DeGroot, 30, who has ridden professionally for 10 years and has broken more fingers than he could count on three hands. His broken back and broken tailbone were results of back flips that ended poorly in practice. Getting hit by a car, by comparison, hardly fazed him.

"I don't know what else I'd be interested in if I wasn't doing this,'' DeGroot said. "It would have to be some kind of job with a lot of ups and downs, something action-packed.''

Weaver and DeGroot are joined by Bob Walters, 31, who organized the team and convinced the Magic to add it to their game-night package. They are the first NBA team to have a flatland bike team as part of their regular entertainment rotation.

"Not a lot of people can do the caliber of riding we do,'' said Walters, a Colonial High graduate.

DeGroot owns and operates Mission Skate Park in Longwood, which has forced him to cut back on his competitive riding but allowed him to remain close to the sport he loves.

Weaver returned to Central Florida this fall from a three-month BMX promotional tour of America. Walters works in the entertainment industry locally, mostly on his bike.

"The best way to describe what we do is breakdancing on a bike,'' DeGroot said.

In addition to performing at Magic games, they will be in the Orlando Citrus Parade on Thursday. Before then, they will practice at various sites.

There is the strip-mall parking lot in Casselberry, where they go late when businesses close. There is the church parking lot in College Park, where they are welcome any time except Sunday.

There is the elementary school on the southwest side of town, where they can practice on Saturdays. Tennis courts can be outstanding practice sites, but only until someone chases them off.

Over the years, they've been chased by automobile drivers, questioned by police and harassed by hoodlums. But like the injuries, those aren't barriers, just another challenge.

"Being at a halftime show at the arena isn't exactly our normal place to ride,'' Weaver said. "It's a little stressing, not because of the people watching but because of the floor there. No one's worried about hurting themselves. It's the court you worry about. If you dropped a peg there, it would not be a happy scene.''